Criminal Justice

The teen died three weeks after the incident in Lynn Township, Lehigh County. He was with three other teens in the truck. State police and the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office are investigating.

The executive board of the International City/County Management Association at its June 21 meeting publicly censured former Fountain Hill Borough Manager Eric Gratz and permanently barred him from ICMA membership.

The Allentown Police Department is no stranger to excessive-force lawsuits, with the city paying out millions to settle them over the past decade.

Allen Jahmell Grimes, 18, of Bethlehem, charged in the Feb. 28 shooting of a woman in the 400 block of Cherokee Street in South Bethlehem, was extradited from New York City after being caught by U.S. Marshals.

A Philadelphia man was apprehended and charged Wednesday in the 2023 shooting death of a man in the parking lot of an Easton convenience store, officials said.

An Allentown man has been charged in the fatal shooting of another man at a party at the East Side Fire Social Hall in February 2024.

On the night of June 30 into July 1, security guard Emilia Amaral, dispatcher Karen Romero, officer Tina Vu, dispatcher Christina Pulley and officer Jaime Hricko were part of an historic moment at Lehigh University.

Ismael Segarra is accused of pointing a loaded shotgun at his wife and pulling the trigger. Police said the gun jammed.

John Frederick Fifield, 21, pleaded guilty May 6 to charges in a 2021 crash of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence — both felonies.

Allentown police launched their investigation after an officer found her car in a different spot than where she parked it.

Costas Alestas, a 17-year veteran of the Bethlehem Police Department, was fired after the allegations came to light. He worked as a school resource officer at East Hills Middl School in the Bethlehem Area School District.

David J. Gibbs, 34, was killed and two others were hurt in a shooting early Friday morning inside Big Woody's Sports Bar and Restaurant on Allentown’s East Side, authorities said.

Anderson Jorge Cruz, 27, no known address, was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter-unreasonable belief, a first-degree felony, for killing Juan Alfredo Sanchez, 24.

The delivery driver was wanted on a warrant issued Dec. 10 on charges of third-degree murder in the Nov. 21 killing of 29-year-old Rigiberto Hernandez Arias, of Allentown, authorities said.

Several signature displays — valued at more than $60,000 — were unsalvageable and declared “total losses" after vandals struck over the weekend at Lights in the Parkway, according to officials.

“Every time someone makes the intentional decision to get behind the wheel intoxicated, they endanger every person they encounter on the roadway,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “I have seen far too many tragedies caused by completely avoidable vehicle crashes rooted to DUI.”

Lights in the Parkway will be closed Sunday night after significant vandalism caused extensive damage to holiday light displays and park facilities at Lehigh Parkway, according to Allentown officials.

Currently authorized to employ 154 officers, the city department has 138 on the roster, but only 127 can report for work for various reasons, Chief Michelle Kott told City Council during a Nov. 20 budget hearing.

Prosecutors finally shared details of the charges with some defendants after three-and-a-half months, but a court order bars them from disclosing any of the information publicly.

“These scammers have well-rehearsed scripts and are readily prepared to convincingly answer any question posed to them," Lehigh County Sheriff Joe Hanna said.

Lehigh County Commissioner Zachary Cole-Borghi is among dozens of people charged by the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office in a large-scale drug investigation announced in August.

Cristian Jimenez, 27, of Allentown, hit a fire hydrant and utility pole before crashing into the Lehigh Valley Logistics building on South Twelfth Street early Sunday morning, police said.